Tour de France Tour de France 2025 Stage 11: Toulouse – Toulouse (156.8k)

[Peyroteo94]

Astana has said there are no longer any rules in the peloton, referring to the fact that several Astana riders were peeing when they attacked and the peloton split.
There were many riders peeing when the attack occurred. Astana has interpreted it as intentional, taking advantage of the moment.

Maybe I wasn't that crazy when I told they were attacking while Pogacar was peeing.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Drilling it at the front when the defending champion, Tour favorite, and current world champion suffers a crash of no fault of his own is really lame and unsporting behavior. Fortunately, riders have more class than that.

 

[Red Rick]

Drilling it at the front when the defending champion, Tour favorite, and current world champion suffers a crash of no fault of his own is really lame and unsporting behavior. Fortunately, riders have more class than that.

So when Vingegaard goes down they should just all race. Or Evenepoel? Where do we draw the line?

 

[Divergence]

Drilling it at the front when the defending champion, Tour favorite, and current world champion suffers a crash of no fault of his own is really lame and unsporting behavior. Fortunately, riders have more class than that.

Why should past successes grant him this privilege? All riders start as equals.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

oh man, most of the current GC riders would be in their respective national choirs if they didn't have a job in the pro peloton.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Astana has said there are no longer any rules in the peloton, referring to the fact that several Astana riders were peeing when they attacked and the peloton split.
There were many riders peeing when the attack occurred. Astana has interpreted it as intentional, taking advantage of the moment.

I don‘t know, there were only five riders up the road on a breakaway stage, it was obvious that a lot of teams were unhappy with the situation. The guys who attacked would have probably also tried if nobody peed although they might have had a harder time getting past the roadblock. Of course you don’t want to go full gas all day but you can‘t just literally pull your dong out and everything is neutralised.

 

[staubsauger]

So when Vingegaard goes down they should just all race. Or Evenepoel? Where do we draw the line?

IMHO it's a difference whether it's a steering error like with Kruijswijk and the ice berg or someone gets bowled down like Pogacar today!

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Why should past successes grant him this privilege? All riders start as equals.

If you have a work meeting, the likelihood the start gets delayed because one attendee is tardy usually depends on the importance of that person. It's called respect.

 

[Red Rick]

IMHO it's a difference whether it's a steering error like with Kruijswijk and the ice berg or someone gets bowled down like Pogacar today!

The entire Giro was a demolition derby and they basically ever waited for each other. I can understand for the gravel stage - but even there all the differences were due to crashes, but in Gorizia it would have never been a GC stage until someon started a demolition derby, and from the moment that happened, the race was suddenly on, and there was never even talk about waiting.

I can understand why individuals wait, but what I don't understand is the tone of the discourse

 

[Divergence]

If you have a work meeting, the likelihood the start gets delayed because one attendee is tardy usually depends on the importance of that person. It's called respect.

The beauty about sports is that rules-wise everybody is equally important. Therefore your line of logic stems only from a fan's perspective. You might have liked it today. I, for example, lost respect for VLAB doubly (attacking during pee brake was a *** move, and not attacking a crashed Pog) (although it is hard to lose respect for VLAB since it was as low as it gets already).

 

[Didinho]

I love Campy but I really hate that aero helmet.

He’s the rider who searches the most about every little thing to be more aero or save some watts. Always been, since he was a TT rider. Probably also came up with the nose strips I guess. So I don’t think he’s gonna drop the aero helmet.

 

[dazaau]

The beauty about sports is that rules-wise everybody is equally important. Therefore your line of logic stems only from a fan's perspective. You might have liked it today. I, for example, lost respect for VLAB doubly (attacking during pee brake was a *** move, and not attacking a crashed Pog) (although it is hard to lose respect for VLAB since it was as low as it gets already).

In life, rules wise, everybody is equally important. In sport, as in life, that is not how it works in practice.

 

[Divergence]

In life, rules wise, everybody is equally important. In sport, as in life, that is not how it works in practice.

Not really. The rule is the meeting starts when the boss is there. Otherwise there is no reason to have the meeting. In sports the rules are usually set up in such a way that there is no "boss". In cycling, in particular, each rider is equally important. From a fan's perspective it is one thing to wait with 100k to go. But the race was on and there had to be an intentional effort by Healy and Evenepoel and VLAB apparently to stop the hostilities. Had there been no crash someone could have sucked away to gain maybe 10s.
Finally, I do not even mind waiting for Pog. What I dislike is the unequal application of this waiting "rule". What I mind even more is the grandstanding from certain riders and teams. In particular VLAB are riding pretty dirty and they kinda tried to wash themselves by waiting. however, it is pretty obvious to everybody what they are doing.

 

[Red Rick]

In life, rules wise, everybody is equally important. In sport, as in life, that is not how it works in practice.

And consensus is usually that 'rules for thee but not for me' is a bad thing, but now somehow it's all great.

Somehow different values seem to apply to different riders in similar enough situations.

 

[Gratemans]

The beauty about sports is that rules-wise everybody is equally important. Therefore your line of logic stems only from a fan's perspective. You might have liked it today. I, for example, lost respect for VLAB doubly (attacking during pee brake was a *** move, and not attacking a crashed Pog) (although it is hard to lose respect for VLAB since it was as low as it gets already).

Vingegaard waited for Pogacar when he crashed back in 2022 though didn't he?
I don't have a fan's perspective btw, as I'm entertained by both but fan of neither (or at least, I don't particularly favor one over the other).

You can always nitpick and make the one you're not a fan of look bad. And it happens way too much here as well to my taste. I mean, can't you just be a fan of your guy without constantly twisting the narrative to put down his competitor (That last part wasn't directed at you btw, it's just a general observation).

Oh, and yeah, rules-wise everybody is equally important. But this isn't about the actual rules. It's about the unwritten ones. And indeed, where do you draw the line? I have no idea, but the riders always choose to draw it somewhere, and in general, I hardly ever think they're wrong. The world isn't black and white. I actually like that, and it's perfectly fine if you don't, but that seems to be the way it is.

 

[RedheadDane]

Poor Abrahamsen.
His historic win getting completely overshadowed by Pogacar crashing.

 

[red_flanders]

I don't think a gifted yellow jersey gives you that authority anymore...

You gotta consider the source. Vaughters spouts as much nonsense as anyone I've ever heard in sport. Pure posturing.

Seemed fairly clear that Healy backed off, Remco was yelling at his team to do the same, Vingo wasn't going to attack him, and generally the whole group decided to wait.

 

[kingjr]

You gotta consider the source. Vaughters spouts as much nonsense as anyone I've ever heard in sport. Pure posturing.

Seemed fairly clear that Healy backed off, Remco was yelling at his team to do the same, Vingo wasn't going to attack him, and generally the whole group decided to wait.

Compared to Luz Ardiden 2003 this is a complete non-story anyway

 

[CyclistAbi]

Congratulations to Jonas Abrahamsen for winning the stage.

Rather entertaining stage till the crash at the end that spoiled it. Looks like big four have consolidated and now finishing together day in day out. Lets see on how stage 12 goes, likely some differences in GC to be made. Visma will want to benefit from Pogi crash and i expect an all out assault.

Okay, @CyclistAbi; what was it about a broken collarbone being the end of a rider's season

IMHO the last thing pro road cycling needs ATM is glorifying riders racing injured. It's due to metal plate and screws, on why this is possible, bone itself still needs a couple of weeks to heal. On top of that UCI has done nothing, to prevent or reduce number of injuries resulting from crashes, like governing bodies in other sports have done. If they would then Pogi would likely came out of it unbruised and Abrahamsen wouldn't be racing injured in the first place. That IMHO wouldn't take anything from his win today, furthermore it would move pro road cycling closer to being a mainstream sport without such bad image and stigma involved, on when it comes to crashes and resulting injuries.

 

[jono]

Congratulations to Jonas Abrahamsen for winning the stage.

Rather entertaining stage till the crash at the end that spoiled it. Looks like big four have consolidated and now finishing together day in day out. Lets see on how stage 12 goes, likely some differences in GC to be made. Visma will want to benefit from Pogi crash and i expect an all out assault.

Who's #4?

 

[CyclistAbi]

Who's #4?

Jonas.

 

[E_F_]

Pure posturing.

That was what I was getting at, yeah!

 

[Tonton]

Who's #4?

Vino.

 

[Gratemans]

Looks like big four have consolidated

Sure.. You do realise we haven't even had a proper mountain stage yet?

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Sure.. You do realise we haven't even had a proper mountain stage yet?

Well, if you looked at the GC you couldn‘t tell who the Top 4 were anyway.